Kenya is a global hub for motorcycle taxi drivers.
With 22 million riders a day, many drivers who have not completed school pursue this line of work for job security and flexibility.
Unfortunately, these drivers live in the most likely populations that succumb to drug and alcohol addiction.
To empower Kenyan taxi drivers to develop self-sufficiency skills and avoid the financial debt that so often pushes them further into addiction, Send Relief partners established a motorcycle maintenance program at a local church to instruct them on bike repair and upkeep.
One of these motorists, Cadeo, showed up on the first day of training in a three-piece suit. His attire surprised his classmates and teachers, considering the manual labor of working on a motorcycle. After asking Cadeo about it, the instructors discovered that he had intended to commit suicide that day and had dressed in his best clothes for his last day on earth.
Cadeo did not know why he had walked past the church that day, as he usually took a different route to his destination. We are so grateful he did!
A local pastor shared the gospel with Cadeo in class, and he decided to follow Christ. He also completed the training and now instructs other drivers!
“We gave out certificates to attendees, and all the participants left feeling empowered with the needed skills to do the repairs on their own,” a teacher said. “The students also indicated that their biggest struggle would be to have access to tools to do the repairs on their own, so after the project, we purchased a set of tools so the church could allow others to check them out and make repairs on the premises. The church now has valuable relationships and a way to continue engaging motorcycle drivers in their community!”
Your gifts save lives! Cadeo lives today because your generosity funded repair classes near his village. Please continue to pray for drivers like him to find healing from their addictions and suicidal thoughts.
Published June 29, 2022